Episode 256 (Manga)
Synopsis Schierke hypnotizes the guards at the gates, who allow the witch and her companions to enter the outside courtyard of the banquet hall unmolested. As the group walks along, Schierke and Guts simultaneously sense something - Guts through his Brand of Sacrifice, and Schierke through her connection to the Astral world. A thick fog begins to pervade throughout the square they find themselves in, and Schierke recognizes it as the same type of fog from the beach. The guards outside the square have also noticed the fog, but before they can react to it, they are killed by a demonic creature. Guts and his group watch as the creature annihilates the guards just out of their view. Once finished, it rounds the corner of the entrance, giving Guts, Schierke, Isidro and Casca full view of its silhouetted body. The creature begins to move, starting at a walk and accelerating into a run. It passes directly past Guts and his party, heading straight into the banquet hall. Knowing that the creature's infiltration means that there will soon be a ruckus, Guts urges his group to hurry. They come to the entrance of the banquet hall proper, but find that it is guarded by nearly a dozen sentries. As Schierke prepares to hypnotize them all, she suddenly decides to direct her party around the banquet hall, explaining that she's received a telepathic message from Serpico (who still has her hair tied around his finger), who is waiting inside the hall's side entrance. The group finds the side entrance completely unguarded, and cautiously enter. The room they find themselves in is dimly lit by torches and full of columns that are as wide as the average man. Schierke calls out verbally to Serpico. He appears from behind a column, and answers Schierke's call by telling the group the history of the chamber they find themselves in: Long ago, Vritannis was taken over by the Kushan, who had the chamber built during their occupation. When the people of Vritannis fought back and freed their city, they preserved the chamber as a monument to their victory over the Kushan. Serpico is aware of the reason Guts and his group have come to the banquet hall, but he declares that he will not allow them to see Farnese. To this end, he's decided to grant Guts' wish for another duel. Though Schierke and Isidro can hardly believe that Serpico wants to fight Guts, the Black Swordsman himself steps up and accepts Serpico's challenge, saying that a battle between him and Serpico was inevitable. The children reluctantly decide to let the men fight, thinking that neither will be trying their hardest. Guts draws the Dragon Slayer and assumes his usual stance, only to find that no matter which way he holds his weapon, its path is obstructed by the columns that dot the room. Serpico explains that said columns are tightly packed together and are extremely numerous; they will give Serpico the advantage in the fight, since his weapon of choice is a rapier - a jabbing weapon. Complementing Serpico for his usual display of fighting savvy, Guts swings the Dragon Slayer with enough force to destroy the nearest column, and Serpico dodges the follow-through. Characters in Order of Appearance